Ten MPs arrived in the Parliament Chamber in wet clothes on Saturday claiming that they had become the victims of tear gas and water canon attacks when Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse a protest by a group of former local government representatives near the Parliament Roundabout.
Raising a point of order, UPFA Ratnapura district MP Ranjith Soysa said that his colleagues, MPs Sanath Nishantha, Indika Anuruddha, Wimalaweera Dissanayake, Tharaka Balasuriya, Kanchana Wijesekera, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Prasanna Ratnaweera, S.M Chandrasena and Prasanna Ranatunga too had become victims of the police attack.
“This is an attack against the country’s democracy. Democracy has been given a bath. We have been attacked.
We cannot participate in the debate remaining in the chamber. Our clothes are wet. They have been torn and are soiled with mud,” Soyza said.
He said this was a violation of parliamentary privileges of MPs and urged the Speaker to look into this.
Leader of the House, Highways and Higher Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella said it was the duty of MPs to be in Parliament and not loiter on the roads.
Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala said he would bring the issue to the notice of the Speaker and call for a report.